Is it The Game or Me?

[GTA3Freak-2001]

Like everyone else I was ecstatic about getting my hands on VCS and once again delving into 80's Vice City but here I am a month plus after its release and the farthest I got was when you get introduced to Empires and I haven't touched it since. I just don't feel any incentive or reason to play on. There's nothing I can really pinpoint why I feel this way, its GTA alright but eh its like there's something missing. Is it just the PSP format or is it that what GTA is, has become stale and its getting tiresome?

 

I have to admit towards the end of LCS I was feeling the same way and as such I never finished the storyline and it too hasn't been touched in a long time. Has GTA outgrown us? I am just too old to appreciate it? Do small screens make a difference?

 

 

[TruXter]

I dunno man... with the tiny screen, the soar thumbs, the glitches, the redundancies of being happy to be the brother of the clown and seem like I am doing all the same crap i have done a million times over... i will not be finishing the game..

 

game is currently on ebay.

 

 

sorry guys.. this game does not count as a full blown version of gta..

 

lcs was a let down also... maybe if it came to pc and we could have done all the map skin and car mods

but that does not seem likely..

 

i don't really feel interested if I know that I can't do my own custom work..

 

 

sorry guys..

[TruXter]

HAHAHHAAHA ... crap.. I should have read your thread before I typed mine... it's nearly identicle..

 

 

can you merge it in here somehow?

My exact same statement unedited

[jarjar]

I know what you mean, I feel the same way. I have only just got up to the second island the other day and that was because I pushed myself to play the game for a whole day. Maybe that article I posted about awhile back was right. Maybe GTA is becoming stale and boring...? It's worrying when a game you use to play no-stop until you won it becomes a game you play because you have nothing else to do. And I am afraid that is what has happened to me too.

[jarjar]

Okay, this was meant to be posted in TruXters topic but now this it's been merged, I post it here...

 

 

The article by TheAge.com.au outlines all this, and after playing VCS and looking more indepth into all this, I can see there point:

 

Original Post

 

 

Hi Everyone, sorry, there we're posting problems on GTAF when I posted, so the post didn't show up. GTAF's fault, not mine .

 

Here the original post:

 

"TheAge.com" Says "Is GTA Becoming Dull?"

What do you think...?

 

 

 

Groan Theft Auto

 

 

Is the controversial and mischievous Grand Theft Auto series actually (gasp) becoming dull?

 

Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, San Andreas, Liberty City Stories and now Vice City Stories. It's five games in six years, which could hardly be described as overkill compared to the antics of other publishers. The enormous sales (over 40 million copies worldwide) and high review scores also suggest most people's appetites for carjacking and mischief making are not yet satiated.

 

But when you add "GTA clones" into the mix, like The Godfather, Saints Row, The Getaway, True Crime, Scarface, Driver, plus other free-roaming games like Destroy All Humans, Mercenaries, Total Overdose, Just Cause and Rockstar's own Canis Canem Edit, there's a lot more chance that many players will have had their fill.

 

Reading the reviews and early consumer feedback for Vice City Stories, it seems some critics and players have had enough. Despite the game being widely recognised as superior to its PSP predecessor, VCS has a slightly lower Metacritic ranking and there is a lot more discussion on the game's weaknesses. GTA is no longer untouchable.

 

Screen Play has always been a big fan of the GTA series and looks forward to each release, but I've certainly found myself enjoying them less and less.

 

While one of Rockstar's strengths has been mission variety, it's becoming increasingly difficult to summon enthusiasm for yet another fetch quest no matter how it is dressed up.

 

Perennial problems like the limited intelligence of other characters and enemies, the frustration of having to repeatedly replay tough (and sometimes unfair) missions, the wonky camera and flawed targeting system also get harder to forgive with every installment, especially when competitors have found some smart solutions.

 

Long loading times on PSP compound the frustration, although that's hardly Rockstar's fault.

 

 

But the biggest concern is that GTA's once-irresistible allure of running amok in an enormous digital playground, whether trying to outrun the cops with a 5-star wanted ranking or just nail an enormous jump, now seems to hold little interest.

 

It will be fascinating to see how Rockstar responds with next year's highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

 

Are you tiring of the GTA formula?

 

What should Rockstar do with GTA IV beyond dazzling next-generation graphics to excite players again?

 

I'm afraid I'll always be a GTA Fan, no matter how the series goes, but I wanted to see what others thought of this. In some aspects the author is correct, we have lost a lot of GTA greats (modders and fans) who have left, maybe not all due to this, but some have. Plus we find not many people find GTA existing anymore, with many not even venture into the GTA Series Forums here anymore. Plus, just look at how many topics we've had start in this forum over the last few days since VCS was released about people being disappointed in it. Hell, I've even have people on MSN complaining about it. Not having played it yet, I have no comment. I think the last 2 lines explain it well:

 

 

Are you tiring of the GTA formula?

 

What should Rockstar do with GTA IV beyond dazzling next-generation graphics to excite players again?

 

After seeing how Rockstar did with Bully especially, I think we can be sure GTA4 is going to be very existing, and more than likely very different from the tradition GTA's. Whether that is a good thing or not is debatable.

 

So, what do you think about all this?

 

Source

[Brian Forbes]

Attack of the Clones!!! Theres not much to say which hasn't be said here. It was hard to get excited about a port of a four year old game with sub-par graphics, story and crappy gameplay, coupled with crippling glitchs, with such innovative clone-titles lurking around. R* may have dilluted our appreciation of a truley great landmark for the platform with the PSP chasing the alluring green paper, i've always thought of it as our generation's starwars (to a limited extent). But the truth is the very concept really started to rankle by san andreas.

 

All you can do is believe that GTA4 will blow the world away again, and it will take everyone else another 5 years to catch up.

 

No matter what anybody says, untill we have even a shred of information, how can you play down the impact of the completely unknown? GTA4 could be the single greatest feat of mankind since the great wall... or it could be basically san andreas with bells and whistles and at which point even i would throw in the towel and give up on them.

 

Everbody knows by now it has to be completely unregonizable (you have no concept of what it could be so KILL your established pre-conceptions of demented manequins, magically appearing weapons - THE WHOLE GODDAMBED THING) Theres nothing stopping you from envisioning a jump 2x times greater than the transition from gta2-era to III-era if you forget everything you know and expect from supposed next gen title graphics capabilities and gameplay and established preconceived 'gta' notions in your head. So have some blind faith. would it kill you?

[jarjar]

Sadly I feel the GTA Franchise is becoming dull like said in the article. Rockstar have lost all interest in helping GTA Fansites and Modders. In turn the games development and the community has failed. Just look at it, how many GTA Fansites have closed down within the last year? And how many well-known GTA Modders and GTA Community Members have left or became inactive? Tons and that number is contently growing.

[GtaSanAndreasPlaya]

Seeing as I just recently got a psp and VCS I cant say much but its most likely because of the sore thumbs and tiresome storyline.

[Mike0]

I think its just because the formula is the same since GTA3, not much has changed. There is not enough depth in the game.

[Nick Papagiorgio]

I guess because the GTA3 formula has been used, re-used, and abused agian, it makes the game less appealing. Sure it has some new additions in it, but it didn't bring the fun-factor of the game up. Before VCS, I was hyped out of my mind for it. Then once I got it, I felt a slight let-down, it wasn't exactly what I expected, like I did from when I got SA,VC, and III for the first time.I don't think I have touched VCS in a week (I beat the game a week ago). IMO, I think LCS was way better than VCS. But that is just my opinion.

 

But about GTAIV, the game is going to be huge. It has hope, and every GTA fan is waiting for it. It will go away from the traditional GTAIII formula into it's own, original. I believe the GTA franchise will be, figuratively and to a slight extent, resurrected from the ashes, and be even better than it's predecessor's.

 

And of course age plays a part too. I mean you can't play GTA, or any game for that matter, for too long. I'm 15, so I have a long way till "GTA outgrows me". It happens. It's life. Just like your childhood toys, one day in your adulthood (I'm talking about 30's and 40's), most of us will lose interst in video games.

 

But all other speeches aside, GTA is the best game franchise I ever played, and it'll continue to stay that way.

Edited December 4, 2006 by Gman91

[creative madman]

personally i have no qualms with shelling out 70 dollars to play a GTA game, nor do i have any problem with playing it on the PSP system (i think you all need to stop ur whinging about the system, by the time im imersed i dont notice the small screen or small lone joystick)...

 

for one problem i think the stories GTA's have lost thier re-play ability, back when i used to play Vice City on the PS2 Round for Round with some mates it was possibly worth sacrafising my left leg...now? i havnt even turned VCS on since i hit the 100% mark (in less then a weeks gameplay)...also, Vice City had an awsome atmosphere, i literally didnt sleep for groups of nights becuase id be playing it.

 

GTAIII, VC and Sa each had their own awsome atmosphere and feel....LCS and VCS i only kept playing becuase of the story lines, even though even they seem tired and recycled. however if and when SAS is released, i will pay upwards to 120 Australian Dollars to finish it, as it will be the last of the GTAIII series.

 

however until i see that GTAIV is more then just San Andreas with a new map and Saints Row Graphics i dunno if ill get excited.

 

i think the MAIN problem with the stories are the atmosphere and areas has already been practically exhusted, and while we were given San Andreas, the largest of of the serious in map, feature and story...i think that Liberty City and Vice City while they hold a special place in our hearts cant compare to the sheer size of San Andreas.

 

all in all but, before we start saying that the series is dead, we need to wait for more to come, if R* can manage to squeeze the whole San Andreas game onto a UMD and then manage to add something new and inovative, such as...i dunno? major property development and weapon modification, then i gaurantee it will be worth spending money for.. as for GTA IV....who knows? it could be the greatest sacralige of the GTA series yet, it could have such a great atmosphere and story that it re-writes the way games are made.

 

 

 

 

[mageezer]

I wouldn't say it's the end of the GTA series, I think it's just that these "Stories" games are to tide us over until GTA4. R* North started making GTA 4 right after San Andreas and since then they've realized that GTA fans are too rabid to be kept waiting for 3 years straight in between San Andreas and GTA4. So in the mean time, R* bought R* Leeds as a game studio for their portable games and got them to port GTA3 and Vice City to PSP with a little extra content to keep us all at bay and to make a little dough on the side while they wait for GTA4 to come out on the market. They must have come up with this idea for the Stories games at a much later stage than when they planned the PS2 trilogy, as the storyline and content for these PSP games are all obviously subpar. It's been stated by a R* representative that the entire PS2 trilogy had been planned since they started making GTA3. The GTA series on PS2 that we've come to love was made hand-in-hand with the main R* studios and R*North, whereas these PSP titles have received less focus from the main R*, who just want to throw something simple together for R* Leeds to chew on in order to save the money they'd spend on a full-blown project and so the main R* can focus on GTA4. They also probably just want R* Leeds to make them some money.

[GTA_Loco]

Familiarity can sometimes lead to boredom. And if this isn't addressed and carried over to a different level of experience, then it can disastrouously end up in discontent. Which is what I feel is what some GTA gamers have been experiencing lately.

 

Expectations have run high on the GTA games , as gamers need to satisfy their control of the game to the next higher and different level of gaming experience. Control (from in-game playing to modding some features) being one value that Rockstar has given us through their GTA games, and is what has appealed to a lot of people.

 

The two latest Stories games essentially had the "usual stuffs", which were just sort of tweaked a little, but nothing radically new features were really introduced. So this is probably what has dampened the enthusiasm of even some veteran GTA gamers.

 

 

[HERDIST]

i finished the game in 39 hours really! And im bored i didnt play anymore and GTA LCS better than VCS because VCS have dirty bugs real dirty. And controlls Terrible controls! Sucked controls! small screen both maps Rockstar too lazy! I want only 1 gta like SA. New map new cars fully new characters. But they already going for SAS

[vint_cool]

Funny, just a week back I played vice city for old times sake and was immersed in it the same way as the first time....maybe GTA formula still works, may be its just that GTA VCS was a mistake....ya know, something like the casting of George Lazenby or Timothy Dalton in the James bond series - ppl predicted the series was boring/repetitive and should b stopped, but ultimately the series got rejuvenated with Roger Moore and then by Pierce brosnan !

 

So guys chill - GTA 4 might still be refreshing !

[vint_cool]

i finished the game in 39 hours really! And im bored i didnt play anymore and GTA LCS better than VCS because VCS have dirty bugs real dirty. And controlls Terrible controls! Sucked controls! small screen both maps Rockstar too lazy! I want only 1 gta like SA. New map new cars fully new characters. But they already going for SAS

Easy my frnd....dont get so frustrated and heated up !

 

BTW, when did R* announce they are making SAS ??

[xrk]

I just don't feel any incentive or reason to play on.

 

I felt the same once I opened the other island and have hardly touched it since, two missions and thats it..

tbh it was a struggle to get through lcs too

the strain on the eyes probably doesn't help though.

 

 

[TheDude5000]

Uh, no?

 

In fact, I've been playing VC and VC Stories quite a bit lately. Maybe it's because I followed this game since day one, reading all the previews, and my excitement rised due to all the innovations in the game. All the new vehicles, features, etc.

 

 

[WildChild247]

Before VCS, I was hyped out of my mind for it. Then once I got it, I felt a slight let-down, it wasn't exactly what I expected, like I did from when I got SA,VC, and III for the first time.I don't think I have touched VCS in a week

same thing happened to me. b4 it was released, i thought that it would be as good if not better than the original VC.i was kinda disapointed, but the game is still good. i havent finished the missions yet, i havent played in more than a week. its not that gta has become dull and boring, its still fun, but it has lost the FEEL that GTA 3 and VC and even SA, which i didnt like that much. to me, VC is the best game oif all time, and GTA is still the best game series of all time, but that feel is gone. the feel of VC was the best ever, the fun factor and everything. its sorta hard to explain but. w/e.

[simplyunkillable]

the stories games are bland. ohh look! 6 new cars! one new texture for the cars! retextured peds! a new boring storyline! features locked out for no reason! marketng bullsh*t about a new game engine that doesn't exist!

 

too much hype.

[Seddo]

I feel the same way, The fursthest i have got is the first Umberto mission, and i only got that far by doing one mission every know and then, and i havent touched it in weeks.

 

To me i think its becuase its on the PSP, i dont think it feels like a GTA unless its on a big screen., so i recon its just the PSP format thats not making it feel GTA-y. Also it might be that we have already visited these maps, so when we get a new map, It will feel just like GTA again.

[palaric8]

Like everyone else I was ecstatic about getting my hands on VCS and once again delving into 80's Vice City but here I am a month plus after its release and the farthest I got was when you get introduced to Empires and I haven't touched it since. I just don't feel any incentive or reason to play on. There's nothing I can really pinpoint why I feel this way, its GTA alright but eh its like there's something missing. Is it just the PSP format or is it that what GTA is, has become stale and its getting tiresome?

 

I have to admit towards the end of LCS I was feeling the same way and as such I never finished the storyline and it too hasn't been touched in a long time. Has GTA outgrown us? I am just too old to appreciate it? Do small screens make a difference?

tell me about it mate,I only keep vcs for my collection thats all...heck I havent beated the game yet and I dont feel like playing vcs for quite some time. the game is great for a rental but for 50$....want my money back !

[Sinful]

Meh... Same for me

Finished VCS storyline, got all the empires, and... Got Marvel: Ultimate Alliance for PSP. Got bored of Vice City Stories.

But same thing happened when I got LCS for PS2. Finished the storyline once... Then a few months later tried to finish the storyline again... I'm just bored!

But I don't think it's the game's fault. It's the system. I mean, I love my ps2 and psp. I just think that playing a GTA on the PC is a completely different experience from playing it in any other system! You know, there's modding and stuff...

[Rashon.]

I agree with what creative madman said 100%. People may not really like the game as much as they thought because it's just returning to a city we've been in before. That's why some say when they say GTA3 is better than LCS and VC is better than VCS because you're not really use to returning to that city and if an SAS is coming out, it may be the same too. I'm definitely hyped about getting the game for Christmas and I really don't care about all these overrated glitches or anything. I just want to play the game. To this day I'm not tired of LCS (maybe because I never revisited it since I don't have GTA3) and I've played Vice City but when I get Vice City Stories, I really won't get bored of it for enormous lengths of time. The only reason I might get tired of it is if I don't feel like playing my PSP. I've played Vice City for a long time and I haven't gotten tired of the city so for Vice City Stories, it should be the same for me.

 

@HERDIST: If you think Rockstar's lazy, why don't you go to them and tell them that they're slacking off. I get tired of someone saying that SA is the only good GTA because of all these features. Is a game taking place in San Andreas the only good standards for you? What if SAS sucks? Then you'll talk more about the PSP or what?

 

We know that the "Stories" games aren't a big hit because they were only rehashes of the original GTA games that took place in that city. It mostly doesn't made the city and worse or better. I've heard people say LCS wasn't great on PS2 because it was meant to be in the PSP. It just means that the Stories games like LCS, VCS, and maybe SAS don't compare to GTA3, VC, or SA.

[jman12343]

Like everyone else I was ecstatic about getting my hands on VCS and once again delving into 80's Vice City but here I am a month plus after its release and the farthest I got was when you get introduced to Empires and I haven't touched it since. I just don't feel any incentive or reason to play on. There's nothing I can really pinpoint why I feel this way, its GTA alright but eh its like there's something missing. Is it just the PSP format or is it that what GTA is, has become stale and its getting tiresome?

 

I have to admit towards the end of LCS I was feeling the same way and as such I never finished the storyline and it too hasn't been touched in a long time. Has GTA outgrown us? I am just too old to appreciate it? Do small screens make a difference?

I'm not trying to ask personal questions, but how old are you? If you're 21+, then you might just be too old, if you're under 21, you might think GTA is just getting repetitive by now. I don't know since I can't read minds ( or can I? ), but I'm still enjoying this one because of the portability, and small new features.

[GTA3Freak-2001]

Like everyone else I was ecstatic about getting my hands on VCS and once again delving into 80's Vice City but here I am a month plus after its release and the farthest I got was when you get introduced to Empires and I haven't touched it since. I just don't feel any incentive or reason to play on. There's nothing I can really pinpoint why I feel this way, its GTA alright but eh its like there's something missing. Is it just the PSP format or is it that what GTA is, has become stale and its getting tiresome?

 

I have to admit towards the end of LCS I was feeling the same way and as such I never finished the storyline and it too hasn't been touched in a long time. Has GTA outgrown us? I am just too old to appreciate it? Do small screens make a difference?

I'm not trying to ask personal questions, but how old are you? If you're 21+, then you might just be too old, if you're under 21, you might think GTA is just getting repetitive by now. I don't know since I can't read minds ( or can I? ), but I'm still enjoying this one because of the portability, and small new features.

Yeah I am 22 so you could be right, having seen GTA from the start I may just be over the whole thing. I have noticed at least in this community that many what I'd consider old skool fans are leaving the GTA scene or are going into hiding. That is until GTA4 comes out and hype for something new in GTA will arise. Well I hope so anyway

[Kippers]

I got kinda bored of the game when the game was coming in to a close, but i got my guide and realized iw asnt that far away from the end and stuck it out. The last missions are worth the boring middle bit if you ask me.

 

I've only been around since GTA3. Ok, i did play GTA2 without knowing it several times when my brothers mate bought his PS1 round but i dint think that really counts, and i'm finding the whole same old same old structure of GTA games boring.

 

I dont think it's anything to do with age, i actually think it's GTA going stale.

 

But, In GTA4 We Trust.

[hot-devil]

When I got my hands on VCS, I was going like, "Finally I got it, an ISO! Gotta buy the UMD when I have enough money. It's just a wonderful game..." But after playing through the missions two days later, I was thinking, "I don't wanna give a heck about the side-missions, they're just so ever-boooring", then I went back to play San Andreas. Driving around Los Santos and the Casinos in Las Venturas, I thought, WHY IS THIS BETTER THAN VCS AND LCS?

Because it is ORIGINAL. An ORIGINAL CITY, ORIGINAL CHARACTERS, ORIGINAL GAMEPLAY. We do not need a Prequel of a game we have already played countless times with characters we have seen countless times and a city we have roamed countlesss times...

Heck, I thought, and booted up NFS Carbon Own the City on my PSP. I just could not stand the Free Roam Mode. It sucks. Then, come to think of it, it is I who have got bored of Free Roaming, MEEEEE!

Anyway, I booted up LCS. I wanted to get 100%!!! I guess its the missions who push us, encourage us GTA Fans to PLAY ON. It is the Satisfaction of getting a 100% Save and discovering an easter egg that keeps us going. But slowly, these things become a chore and slowly, these things become boooringg....

I guess its EdisonCarter's CheatDevice that kept me playing. Without CheatDevice, LCS and VCS would be as good as the same old, boring sh*t Rockstar have been giving us....

[TruXter]

Ok don't get me wrong ..

 

the game looks great, the empire portion is wonderfull, the sub-missions are excelent addons... but for christ's sake it's on a 4 inch screen

'

 

yes I love my psp.... but for media files only

 

 

yes I love gta..... but for my pc only

 

 

 

I want to take the engine from a pc version of of vcs and swap it on gtaIII and gtavc

 

I want to play the games at full screen on my pc... I don't want to use my tv to play the games... i listen to tv while I game

.. that is just me..

 

I finished lcs .. i got three or so missions into island two on vcs in the first week, and have not picked it up since the first week the game was out, I have no desire to complete it.

 

 

If it ported to pc , I would surely play it to the end and then some.. then mod the hell out of it..

 

i would play it on mta servers because they would surely make a mod... but on psp and hand held... no ty.. I wasted money.

so now I sell.

 

I AM NOT AGAINST THE "STORIES" CONCEPT... I JUST HATE PLAYING THE GAMES ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN A PC AND I HATE TO SQUINT... MAYBE I AM JUST GETTING OLD.

Edited December 5, 2006 by TruXter

[Rashon.]

Ok don't get me wrong ..

 

the game looks great, the empire portion is wonderfull, the sub-missions are excelent addons... but for christ's sake it's on a 4 inch screen

'

 

yes I love my psp.... but for media files only

 

 

yes I love gta..... but for my pc only

 

 

 

I want to take the engine from a pc version of of vcs and swap it on gtaIII and gtavc

 

I want to play the games at full screen on my pc... I don't want to use my tv to play the games... i listen to tv while I game

.. that is just me..

 

I finished lcs .. i got three or so missions into island two on vcs in the first week, and have not picked it up since the first week the game was out, I have no desire to complete it.

 

 

If it ported to pc , I would surely play it to the end and then some.. then mod the hell out of it..

 

i would play it on mta servers because they would surely make a mod... but on psp and hand held... no ty.. I wasted money.

so now I sell.

I don't see the screen size a problem but I highly doubt VCS will be ported to PC. LCS is still to this day not ported yet so it's very unlikely for a PC port of VCS.